Conventionally, scalar-type transfer apparatuses have been proposed. A scalar-type transfer apparatus is equipped with, for example, a first arm, a second arm connected to the tip end section of the first arm, and two hands connected to the tip end section of the second arm. The first arm, the second arm and the two hands are each provided with a motor, whereby the first arm, the second arm and the two hands are driven independently from one another.
In such a scalar-type transfer apparatus, since the two hands are each required to be provided with a motor and are each required to be provided with a shaft for transmitting the rotation of the motor, the transfer apparatus is increased in size. Moreover, since the plurality of motors is required to be controlled synchronously, the control of the transfer apparatus becomes complicated.
The present disclosure is made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a transfer apparatus capable of being suppressed from becoming increased in size and complicated in control.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a transfer apparatus comprises: a first arm, a second arm rotatably connected to the first arm, a plurality of hands rotatably connected to the second arm in order to hold objects, a hand position transmission mechanism serving as a transmission mechanism for determining the rotation center position of the plurality of hands, a hand rotation transmission mechanism serving as a transmission mechanism for rotating the plurality of hands around the rotation axes of the respective hands in different directions, a single hand position motor serving as a motor for providing power for the hand position transmission mechanism, and a single hand rotation motor serving as a motor for providing power for the hand rotation transmission mechanism.
With this disclosure, the plurality of hands is driven using the single hand motor. Hence, the number of motors is reduced in comparison with the case in which a plurality of hands is driven using a plurality of motors. Furthermore, since the plurality of hands is controlled using the single hand rotation motor, the control is made easy in comparison with the case in which the plurality of hands is driven using the plurality of motors.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided the transfer apparatus, wherein the plurality of hands has a first hand and a second hand that are arranged in the axial direction of a predetermined axis and rotatable around the axis, and the hand rotation transmission mechanism has: a first pulley rotated by the rotation of the hand rotation motor, an intermediate pulley for relaying the rotation of the first pulley, and a second pulley for transmitting rotation to the second hand, wherein a direction of the rotation transmitted to the second hand is opposite to that of the intermediate pulley, and the intermediate pulley rotates in the same direction as that of the first hand.
With this disclosure, the first hand and the second hand can be made to rotate in the directions opposite to each other by using the first pulley, the intermediate pulley and the second pulley. Hence, since the first hand and the second hand are merely made to rotate in the directions opposite to each other, the control is made easy.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided the transfer apparatus, wherein the hand position transmission mechanism comprises: a third pulley disposed in the first arm and rotated by the rotation of the hand rotation motor and a fourth pulley connected to the third pulley via a belt and rotated in the same direction as that of the third pulley, and a fifth pulley disposed in the second arm and coaxially connected to the fourth pulley via a rotation shaft and a sixth pulley connected to the fifth pulley via a belt and rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the fifth pulley, wherein the sixth pulley is connected to the first pulley, the ratio of the diameter or the number of the teeth of the third pulley to that of the fourth pulley is 4:1, and the ratio of the diameter or the number of the teeth of the fifth pulley to that of the sixth pulley is 1:2.
With this disclosure, since the pulleys have the above-mentioned ratios between the diameters or the numbers of the teeth of the pulleys, the hand rotation motor may merely be driven only when the plurality of hands is rotated in different directions around the rotation axes of the respective hands. Hence, the control is made easier.
Since the plurality of hands can be driven using the single motor, the number of motors can be reduced, and the transfer apparatus can be suppressed from becoming increased in size and complicated in control.
The above and further objects and features will more fully be apparent from the following detailed description with accompanying drawings.